UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[jack_crancer]

Linesman, no offense, but making statements like "fool youngsters to follow him there" is just silly. As if all other places besides Michigan are corrupt and somehow Urban Meyer is the slimy Jim Tressel 2.0.

If I played ball in Ohio and Urban Meyer was the OSU coach I'd pretty much want to go to OSU.

And as much as you call OSU "O-lie-o", Michigan has had their fair share of scandal in the last twenty years too.

[*JD*]

Via Joe Schad:

@schadjoe
Joe Schad
Kalis says, "I can't go there and take penalties for something I never did."
5 minutes ago via txt
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schadjoe Joe Schad
Kalis says, "I want a solid, grounded coaching staff with a safe environment. Where there aren't such tough questions."
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Jeff Buchanan]

Linesman, no offense, but making statements like "fool youngsters to follow him there" is just silly. As if all other places besides Michigan are corrupt and somehow Urban Meyer is the slimy Jim Tressel 2.0.

I think I understand what you're saying here and yes, I could be said to have somewhat of a Michigan bias but .....

All things considered, when it comes to wins, tradition and a subjective assessment of a football program's integrity based on the historical facts, I would rather be a Michigan fan right now than just about any other school.

This isn't some new observation but it might be in the context of this discussion. If osu isn't a really dirty program, it sure looks like one and perception, whether we like it or not, is often the realty.

The thing that intensies that reality for osu is the goodie-two-shoes role osu and tressel played for a decade when it came to NCAA rules compliance. If this recent episode involving osu isn't exactly like the Wizard's fraud blown wide open when Dorothy, the Lion and the Tin Man watched the curtain pulled back, I don't know what is.

In the history of college football that I know going back to the mid 60s, I don't think there is another football program that should be more ashamed by the perception officials have created for osu by their actions and lack thereof than osu. In that regard, Michigan football would appear to be squeaky clean compared to our hated rival to the South and nothing could be finer.

[jack_crancer]

I find it amusing that most Michigan fans here take it at face value that no major violations involving payment of players has ever occured in Ann Arbor. If you believe that, I've got some nice beach front property in Arizona to sell you.

[Mike]

You can never stop some booster or fan from slipping a kid some money. What the university CAN do is not cover it up and lie to the NCAA when they find out about improper benefits. That's what separates Michigan from ohio.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I find it amusing that most Michigan fans here take it at face value that no major violations involving payment of players has ever occured in Ann Arbor. If you believe that, I've got some nice beach front property in Arizona to sell you.

Well, yes, I am aware that Michigan athletes got payed and there is proof of such payments (Webber). But there are no allegations that have been vetted by any of the entities that might do that involving Michigan football players. Proof of that kind of activity? None.

There in lies the reason behind a reasonable position being taken here that Michigan football players have not been involved in play for pay schemes, osu players have, there is proof of it and therefore osu cheats and Michigan doesn't.

I agree that we could suppose M football players have been paid to play, given the circumstances of college football players and deep pocketed fans and alums that might have an interest in doing that, but, there's no proof of it, not even wild rumors that come from anywhere but distraught osu fans grasping for straws.

So, I feel fairly comfortable with the view that M is whole lot cleaner than osu if not a whole lot cleaner than most.

[*JD*]

I'm sure (just like past incidents in basketball and baseball) some football players have at some point in the history of the program been paid while at Michigan but, like Mike said, it's what is done with that info if the coaches find out about it or if the coaches were the ones who were assuring the payments.

[*JD*]

I'd guess there's at least some shady stuff going on at every major program every once in a while if not all the time.

When I was living in Austin, I heard tales of guys that were way down the depth chart at UT getting $1,000 spending money for their BCS week in Pasadena. This was 3rd hand info so take it for what it's worth. Same thing about Gov. Rick Perry being gay, but I digress.....

[Michael Pitts]

I find it amusing that most Michigan fans here take it at face value that no major violations involving payment of players has ever occured in Ann Arbor. If you believe that, I've got some nice beach front property in Arizona to sell you.

I'd say that, comparatively, Michigan and Ohio are on two different ends of the spectrum when it comes to not only how they deal with violations internally but also with how the universities deal with the governing body (NCAA) when they become aware of violations.

[whodean]

Kalis on Hoke and UM:

Kalis had words of praise for new Wolverines coach Brady Hoke.

"He is the type of guy I want to play for," the 2012 recruit told the site. "He has an incredible amount of passion. I believe the Michigan-Ohio border is now open. I think you're going to see eight or nine guys from the state of Ohio going over to Michigan this year."

[Rocky Bleier]

There are nine already.

[Mike]

Kalis coming to UM even made the top headlines on San Diego sports radio and people in San Diego don't even like sports. I love the reasoning Kalis provided for his decision, too: "I don't want to be penalized for something I didn't do". He won't be the last to reach that conclusion either.

[Jeff Buchanan]

...... and if the NCAA gets this right, it will be a two or three year hiatus of top ohio football talent skiping osu and going elsewhere.

Sweet.

[Rocky Bleier]

The only problem I have with that is if the NCAA wimps out Kalis may decide to re-commit to the Schmucks because his neighbors give him so much crap for having the courage to go to a good school/program.

[hack]

I would be with Jack on his argument but increasingly there's evidence piling up that UM is pretty clean. The anecdote that went around about the AA mechanic that tried to give a player a break on car repairs and found the UM compliance department in his face is a telling anecdote. The lack of an effort at even competing in basketball when the Martin bit was fresh. The recent investigation that turned up very little. It all adds up. Plenty of stuff goes on behind closed doors, and as has been pointed out, you can't stop everything. Reasonable however to be confident that UM's athletic department is not actively participating in the corrupt practices, as OSU's was.